You’d think that after the debacle of the Super Mario Bros. movie even the most diehard Nintendo loyalists would have given up hope of anything cool ever being produced by combining the company’s games with live-action. And yet, it seems hope springs eternal for fans of the Kyoto video game publisher’s other flagship series, The Legend of Zelda.
Adventuring hero Link has shown up in a handful of live-action fan projects over the year, and not only is this newest short film one of the most visually and aurally impressive yet, its creators are also promising there’s more to come. More into anime than video games? Don’t worry, they’ve also got an amazing live-action Akira music video.
Together, director Tom Grey and composer/pianist Sonya Belousova are known as Player Piano. Ordinarily, the two collaborate on creating piano arrangements of popular musical pieces, often taken from video games, and pairing them with eye-catching videos.
For their latest effort, Grey and Belousova teamed up with art director and costume designer Sarah Quillian to produce the awesome live-action Zelda video seen here.
As the video opens, the camera sweeps over a highland plain, with a rider atop a galloping horse. And while we first see the man from behind, the shield on his back is a surer sign of his identity than any of his facial features.
It’s none other than Link, the Zelda series’ perpetual elf-like male lead. But while the surroundings are unquestionably beautiful, Luke isn’t out for a pleasure ride. There’s an ill wind blowing, and Link has his steed pointed straight towards the center of the tempest.
Eventually, the horse slows to a trot, then comes to a halt entirely, its nostrils flaring from the exertion of the hard ride. Link slides off the animal and gives it a pat on the neck, when suddenly he’s joined by another non-human companion long-time fans will recognize.
▼ We can’t say whether or not they’ll be glad to see Navi, the gabby helper fairy from Ocarina of Time, but they’ll definitely know who she is.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” asks Navi, to which Link responds with a determined nod before walking off towards a shadowy castle.
▼ It might seem a little weird that he’s leaving the horse behind, but most video game dungeons require you to enter on foot.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see what happens once Link and Navi get to their foreboding destination, because the video ends there. Thankfully, though, the video is true to its title, Legend of Zelda: Live Action Teaser, in that it is indeed a teaser, meant to serve as a short preview of a larger live-action project Player Piano is working on, The Final Battle, which will recreate the showdown between Link and Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time.
Player Piano hasn’t announced when we can expect to see the continuation, but if you need something to tide you over, why not check out their take on “Kaneda’s Theme” from anime classic Akira, with a performing cast of unnerving biker clown percussionists and female versions of gang brothers-turned-mortal enemies Kaneda and Tetsuo on piano and cello, respectively.
And finally, if you’d rather focus on just the music, with no costumes or sets to distract you, here’s Belousova playing a handful of famous video game themes after composing new arrangements for them off the top of her head.
▼ You’ll find music from Chrono Cross at 3:40 and Final Fantasy VII at 7:05, with several other cool pieces in between.
Truly impressive stuff. Play on, Player Piano.
Source: AOL Japan
Top image: YouTube (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: YouTube (1, 2)
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Origin: Come for fans’ awesome live-action Zelda teaser, stay for the powerful Akira music video 【Videos】
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